The organization hires additional providers and doubles its capacity to serve historically marginalized communities.
For Immediate Release
Erie, Pa. – MHEDS (Multi-Cultural Health Evaluation Delivery System), Northwest Pennsylvania’s one-stop healthcare services provider serving the multicultural community, is excited to announce the opening of its new facility at 826 Parade Street. An anchor tenant of the East Side Renaissance initiative to efforts to revitalize the Parade Street corridor, this expansion will significantly enhance MHEDS’ capacity to serve medically underserved communities in Erie, especially refugees and other residents of Erie who face barriers to care.
“We have a unique role in the Erie community as a healthcare organization to provide culturally sensitive care to those who need it most. With this new facility, we are fulfilling our mission,” said Alivia Haibach, CEO of MHEDS. “This major step forward provides us the opportunity to tear down barriers, provide quality healthcare, and promote health equity in the heart of the communities we serve.”
As the sole Pennsylvania Region 5 grantee for refugee health screenings, MHEDS will initially provide health screens at this location, with plans to offer a full range of primary care services in the near future. This new facility is a vital component of MHEDS’ mission to address the healthcare needs of Medically Underserved Areas (MUA) and Medically Underserved Populations (MUP), which lack access to adequate primary care services.
The organization serves a diverse community of refugees, immigrants, New Americans, and other residents, with over 87% of its patients best served in a language other than English. The new facility will further MHEDS’ ability to provide care to Erie’s growing refugee and immigrant communities – challenged not only by language barriers but also issues that affect their ability to best advocate and act on their health needs – in a welcoming and supportive environment.
To meet the needs of its expanding patient base, MHEDS has also added four new healthcare providers to its roster within the last 90 days. This will ensure the organization continues to deliver high-quality healthcare services efficiently and effectively. The new providers include Victoria Hulse, DC, providing chiropractic services, and Alina Kotok, PA; Kristin McQueeney, DBH, LPC; and Tony Ruffa, DO, providing medical services.
For more information about MHEDS and the services provided at the new Parade Street facility, visit www.MHEDS.org.
ABOUT MHEDS
Multi-Cultural Health Evaluation Delivery System’s (MHEDS) mission is to enable all who wish to achieve complete mental, physical, and social well-being by providing equitable, culturally sensitive, patient-centered health care, regardless of their ability to pay. MHEDS is Northwest PA’s one-stop healthcare service provider serving Erie’s multicultural community with holistic healthcare at two locations in Erie. As a Federally Qualified Health Center System Look-Alike, MHEDS meets rigorous compliance standards, ensuring its patients receive high-quality, equitable care. Nearly 86% of MHEDS patients speak a native language other than English, including Nepali, Arabic, Swahili, Ukrainian, Russian, or Spanish. MHEDS is a 2021 recipient of the Pennsylvania Office of Refugee Resettlement’s Excellence in Community Engagement Award for valuable contributions to serving the refugee population and operates two locations in Erie, PA.
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